A-1 (Academic Level Course)

Theoretical Session - 30 Minutes

Online / Offline Training Programme

Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute

Tractor Nagar, Budni, District – Sehore,
Madhya Pradesh - 466445
 Farm Machinery
 Content
1. About farm machinery
2. Classification of farm machinery
3. Tillage
4. Classification of tillage
5. About (Plough, Harrow, Cultivator & Rotavator)
6. Terminology
7. Constructional details
8. Setting & adjustment
9. Repair & maintenance
 FARM MACHINERY CLASSIFICATION
 Operational condition

 Seed bed preparation equip. & mach.

 Sowing, Planting & Transplanting equip. & mach.

 Intercultural Operational equip. & mach.

 Plant protection equip. & mach.

 Irrigation application equip. & mach.

 Harvesting & Threshing equip. & mach.

 Crop residue management equip. & mach.

 Post harvesting equip. & mach.

 Crop specific equip. & mach.

 FARM MACHINERY CLASSIFICATION
 Source of power  Constructional design
 Self propelled machinery  Hitching points
 External power operated machinery  Trailed type
 Manual operated  Semi mounted type
 Animal operated  Mounted type
 Stationary engine operated
 Electric motor operated  Location of mounting
 Power tiller operated  Rear mounted
 Tractor operated  Front mounted
 Side mounted
 Tractor power operated
 PTO power operated
 Drawbar power operated
 Hydraulic power operated
 Seed bed preparation equip. & mach.

 Tillage
 It is a mechanical manipulation of soil to provide favorable condition for crop
production. Soil tillage consists of breaking the compact surface of earth to a
certain depth and to loosen the soil mass, so as to enable the roots of the
crops to penetrate into the soil.

 Objectives of Tillage
 To obtain deep seed bed, suitable for different type of crops.
 To add more humus and fertility to soil by covering the vegetation.
 To destroy the insects, pests and their breeding places and
 To destroy and prevent weeds.
 To aerate the soil for proper growth of crops.
 To increase water-absorbing capacity of the soil.
 To reduce the soil erosion.
 Classification of tillage
Primary Tillage - Tillage operations which constitute the initial major soil-
working operation. It is normally designed to, reduce soil strength, cover plant
materials and re-arrange aggregates.

Secondary tillage - These are lighter and finer operations, performed on the
soil after primary tillage operations. Secondary tillage consists of conditioning
the soil to meet the different tillage objectives of the farm.

Minimum Tillage - The minimum soil manipulation necessary to meet tillage

requirements for crop production.

Conventional Tillage - The combined primary and secondary tillage

operations normally performed in preparing a seed bed.

Mulch Tillage - Preparation of soil in such a way that plant residues or other
mulching materials are specially left on or near the surface.

Strip Tillage - A tillage system in which only isolated bands of soil are tilled.
 Tools, Implement and Machine

Tools
 It is an individual working element such as disc or shovel.

Implement
 It is equipment generally having no driven moving parts, such as cultivator or
having only simple mechanism such as plough.

Machine
 It is a combination of rigid or resistant bodies having definite motions and
capable of performing useful work.
 M. B. Plough Parts
A mould board plough is very common implement used for primary tillage
operations. This plough performs several functions at a time such as.
1) Cutting the furrow slice
2) Lifting the soil
3) Turning the furrow slice and
4) Pulverizing the soil.

Single bottom M.B. Plough Double bottom R.M.B. Plough

 Constructional details
Share - It is a sharp, well polished and pointed component. It penetrates into the
soil and makes a horizontal cut below the soil surface.

Share point – The forward end of the cutting edge which actually penetrates into
the soil is called share point.

Cutting edge – The front edge of the share which makes horizontal cut in the soil
is called cutting edge.

Wing of the share – The outer end of the cutting edge of the share is called wing
of the share. It supports the plough bottom
.
Gunnel – The vertical face of the share which slides along the furrow wall is called
gunnel. It takes the side thrust of the soil and supports the plough bottom against
the furrow wall.
 Constructional details
Mouldboard - The mouldboard is that part of the plough which receives the
furrow slice from the share. If lifts, turns and breaks the furrow slice. To suit
different soil conditions and crop requirements, mouldboard has been designed
in different shapes.

Land side - It is the flat plate which bears against and transmits lateral thrust
of the plough bottom to the furrow wall. It helps to resist the side pressure
exerted by the furrow slice on the mould board. It also helps in stabilizing
the plough while it is in operation. Land side is fastened to the frog with the
help of plough bolts. The rear bottom end of the land side is known as heel
which rubs against the furrow sole.
 Constructional details
Frog- It is that part of the plough bottom to which the other components of the
plough bottom are attached. It is an irregular piece of metal. It may be made of cast
iron for cast iron ploughs or it may be welded steel for steel ploughs.

Tail piece- It is an important extension of mould board which helps in turning a

furrow slice.
 Plough accessories
Jointer - It is a small irregular piece of metal having a shape similar to an ordinary
plough bottom. It looks like a miniature plough. Its purpose is to turn over a small
ribbon like furrow slice directly in front of the main plough bottom.

This small furrow slice is cut from the left and upper side of the main furrow slice
and is inverted so that all trashes on the top of the soil are completely turned down
and buried under the right hand corner of the furrow.
Coulter - It is a device used to cut the furrow slice vertically from the land ahead of
the plough bottom. It cuts the furrow slice from the land and leaves a clear wall.

It also cuts trashes which are covered under the soil by the plough. The coulter
may be Rolling type disc coulter or Sliding type knife coulter.

Jointer Coulter
 Plough Adjustment
Vertical suction (Vertical clearance)- It is the maximum vertical clearance
under the land side from the ground, measured at the joining point of share and
land side. It helps the plough to penetrate into the soil to a proper depth. This
clearance varies according to the size of the plough. It is generally 3-5 mm

Horizontal suction (Horizontal clearance)- It is the maximum horizontal

clearance between the land side and a horizontal plane touching point of share
at its gunnel side and heal of land side. This suction helps the plough to cut the
proper width of furrow slice.
 Ploughing
The ploughing of land separates the top layer of soil into furrow slices. The furrows
are turned sideways and inverted to a varying degree, depending upon the type of
plough being used. It is a primary tillage operation, which is performed to shatter
soil uniformly with partial or complete soil inversion.

Methods of ploughing

Gathering - Whenever a plough works round a strip of ploughed land, it is said to

be gathering.

Casting - Whenever a plough works round a strip of un-ploughed land, it is said to

be casting.
 Ploughing Methods
Mixed method -This is combination of both casting and gathering method
applicable for larger field.
In this method the whole field divided into no. of strips approx 20m 30m.
This gives saving in fuel and time.

Corner To Corner Method -This type of ploughing is carried out by reversible

plough.
At the end of each furrow while turning, the MB plough is turned to the other side.
This method saving of time by avoiding unnecessary turning.
 Terminology
Furrow -It is a trench formed by an implement in the soil during the field operation
Furrow wall - It is an undisturbed soil surface by the side of a furrow.
Crown - The top portion of the turned furrow slice is called crown.
Furrow slice - The mass of soil cut, lifted and thrown to one side is called furrow
slice.
 Terminology
 Back furrow – A raised ridge left at the centre of the strip of land when
ploughing is started from centre to side is called back furrow.
 When the ploughing is started in the middle of a field, furrow is collected
across the field and while returning trip another furrow slice is lapped over the
first furrow. This is the raised ridge which is named as back furrow
 Dead furrow - An open trench left in between two adjacent strips of land after
finishing the ploughing is called dead furrow.
 Head land - While ploughing with a tractor to turn, a strip of un ploughed land
is left at each end of the field for the tractor to turn, that is called head land.
 Terminology
Centre of power
 It is the true point of hitch of a tractor
Centre of resistance
 It is the point at which the resultant of all the horizontal and vertical forces act.
Line of pull
 It is an imaginary straight line passing from the centre of resistance through the
clevis to the centre of pull (power).
 Terminology
Pull
 It is the total force required to pull an implement.
Draft
 It is the horizontal component of the pull, parallel to the line of motion.
Side draft
 It is the horizontal component of the pull perpendicular to the direction of motion.
This is developed if the centre of resistance is not directly behind the centre of
pull.
 Disc Plough
 Disc plough is the perfect implement when ploughing uneven fields that has
buried large roots and other obstructions, One can obtain outstanding
penetration performance.
 Spring loaded floating rear furrow wheel control the side draft to ensure straight
working and smooth movement of implement. Due to rotational movement of the
disc, the tractor tows the machine easily & enables fuel saving.
 A disc plough can be forced to penetrate into the soil which is too hard and dry,
thus results in soil breaking, turning & mixing. It is more useful for deep
ploughing. A disc plough works well even after a considerable part of the disc is
worn off in abrasive soil.
 It can used safely in stony and stumpy soil without much danger of breakage,
new fields can be easily open with this.
 Constructional details
 Disc - A circular, concave and revolving steel plate used for cutting and inverting
the soil. Concave discs shall be of following types:

a) Plain b) Notched c) Flat centred

 Standard- Connects disc bearing and plough frame. Sometimes beam is bent for
disc attachment for reducing the cost.
 Plough Frame- Standards are attached to the plough frame. It has provision for
disc angle adjustment, adding or removing standard and discs.
 Rear Furrow Wheel-To stabilize the plough and take side thrust, rear furrow
wheel is fixed at end.
 Land wheel or Furrow wheel - It is an auxiliary wheel of an implement to
maintain uniform depth of working. Gauge wheel helps to maintain uniformity in
respect of depth of ploughing in different soil conditions.
 Bearings- Disc blades are at an angle to the direction of travels so both radial
and thrust forces are present. Radial forces push against an axle at right angle
while thrust forces push along the axis. That is why taper roller bearings are used.
 Plough Adjustment
• Disc angle- The angle at which the plane of cutting edge of disc is inclined to
direction of travel is called disc angle. It varies from 42 to 45 degree.
Reducing this angle increases the disc rotation with respect to ground
speed and reduces the tendency of the plough to over cut. Increasing the disc
angle improves the disc penetration.
• Tilt angle- It is the angle at which the plane of cutting edge of disc is inclined
to vertical line. Tilt angle varies from 15 to 25 degree. It can be adjusted by
shifting standard on the frame, by adjusting blocks and by changing grooves
in bearing brackets. Increasing the tilt angle improves disc penetration in
heavy, sticky soils. Decreasing the tilt angle improves disc penetration in loose
and brittle soils.
 Plough Adjustment
Depth of Cut
Depth of penetration ranges 3” – 15”. It can be improved by following adjustments
I. Penetration is improved by increasing disc angle.
II. Penetration is improved by decreasing tilt angle on standard disc plough.
III. Penetration is improved by adding additional weight on plough.
IV. For better penetration discs should be sharpened.

Width of cut
Every disc plough has a particular width of cut ranging from 18 - 25 cm depending
on the diameter of the blade.
I. It is adjusted by adjusting angle between land wheel axle and frame.
II. It can be improved by increasing disc angle and decreasing tilt angle.
 Maintenance of disc plough
If the disc plough is operated on stony land then maintenance also increases.
Please follow these rules to get the best results:
i. If disc plough is new then after first two hours of working tightening all nut and
bolts.
ii. Check the plough adjustments if the steering is hard.
iii. Check the scrapper adjustments frequently.
iv. If the soil has entered in grease nipple, then change the nipple.
v. After every fifty hours grease all greasing points with grease gun and tighten
all nuts and bolts.
vi. After three hundred hours of operation, open the hub of disc plough & cleanse
it with diesel oil, pump in new grease & replace its seal.
vii. Constantly check for loose nuts and bolts.
viii. Sharpen the disc if the blades are dull. Blunt blades increase the draft
considerably.
ix. When the diameter of disc is reduced to 24" (600 mm) it is desirable to
change the degree of hub by loosening the mounting bolts.
 Disc harrow
 It is a secondary tillage implement that cuts the soil to a shallow depth for
smoothening and pulverizing the soil as well as cut the weeds and mix the
material with the soil.
 Disc harrow
 Disc harrow - It is harrow which performs the harrowing operations by
means of a set (or a number of sets) of rotating steel discs, each set being
mounted on a common shaft. Disc harrows are of two types –
 Single Action- It is a harrow with two gangs placed end to end, which throw
the soil in opposite directions. The discs are arranged in such a way that
right side gang throws the soil towards right and left side gang throws the
soil towards left.
 Double Action- It is a disc harrow consisting of two or more gangs, in which
a set of one or two gangs follow behind the set of the other one or two,
arranged in such a way that the front and back gangs throw the soil in
opposite directions.
 Constructional details
 Disc- It is a circular concave revolving steel plate used for cutting and inverting
the soil.
 Gang-Each set of discs that are mounted on a common shaft is called the gang.
 Gang bolt or arbour bolt- It is a long heavy square headed bolt from the other
end. A set of discs are mounted on the gang bolt.
 Gang control lever- A lever, which operates the gang mechanism of the disc
harrow, is called the gang control lever.
 Spool or spacer- The flanked tube, mounted on the gang bolt between every
two discs to prevent the lateral movement of the disc on the shaft is called the
`spool‟ or `spacer‟. It is just a device for keeping the discs at equal spacing on
the gang bolt. The standard disk spacing is 7 inches.
 Bearing- Bearing is essential to counter at the end thrust of the gang due to soil
thrust. The harrow bearings are subjected to heavy radial and thrust loads.
Chilled cast iron bearings are used to heavy radial and thrust loads and are also
used due to their durability.
 Transport wheel- In trailing type disc harrow, the transport wheels are provided
for transporting on roads and for preventing the edges of the discs from
damage. Mounted type disc harrows do not require wheels for transportation.
 Scraper- It prevents disc from clogging. It removes the soil that may stick to the
concave side of the disc.
 Harrow Adjustment

ADJUSTMENTS FOR OBTAINING HIGHER PENETRATION:

1. By adding additional weight in harrow
2. By lowering the hitch point
3. By using the sharp edged discs of small diameter and less concavity
4. By regulating the optimum speed.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF DISC HARROW

1. Bearings must be thoroughly greased at regular intervals
2. All nuts and bolts must be checked daily before taking the implement to the field
3. Blunt edges of the discs should be sharpened regularly
4. During slack season, the worn parts including bearings should be fully replaced
5. Coat the outer and inner surfaces of the discs when the harrow is lying without
use in slack season.
 Cultivator
Cultivator is an implement for tillage and inter cultivation with laterally adjustable
tines to work between crop rows.
Function performed by a cultivator:
1. For seed bed preparation as a secondary tillage implement
2. For inter-culture operation in wide row crops
3. To destroy the weeds in the field
4. To aerate the soil for proper growth of crops
5. To sow seeds when provided with sowing attachment
6. To prevent surface evaporation and encourage rapid infiltration of rain water into
the soil.
 Duck foot cultivator
I. It is a rigid type cultivator which is used mostly for shallow ploughing,
destruction of weeds and retention of moisture. It consists of steel frame
and rigid tines to which sweeps are attached. The implement is attached to
the tractor with three point hitch system and is controlled by hydraulic system.
The sweeps are fabricated from high carbon steel. Number of sweeps can be
adjusted according to requirement. Usually this cultivator is about 225 cm
long; 60 cm wide with 7 sweeps.
 Cultivator Adjustment
i) Depth of operation adjustment: It is normally done by the hydraulic lift of
the tractor. The hydraulic lift of the tractor is set at “Draft Control” position so
that the load coming on the tractor remains almost constant on the tractor.

ii) Tine spacing adjustment: Depending upon the field requirement and nature of
work, spacing between tines can be adjusted by slackening the bolts and
sliding the braces to the desired position.

iii) Levelling the cultivator: The implement must be levelled while in operation.
The adjustment can be done by the top link, hydraulic side link levelling lever
and the gauge wheels, if provided
 Rotavator
• It is suitable for shallow cultivation and weed control implement. It consists of a
power driven shaft on which knives or tines are mounted to cut the soil and
trash. Rotor has got several types of tines fitted on the shaft having a speed of
200-300 rpm. Generally, sharp edged L, C , J-shaped blades are used on the
rotor.

L-shaped blade C-shaped blade J-shaped blade

Thank you